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Leadership

I guess I should start with a confession. Growing up in Iowa, it was statistically likely that I would start out as a Republican. I graduated from college, went straight into the Corps, and my service in uniform spans the tail-end of Vietnam on the front end & the Somalia gig, on the back end. In between I served in Asia, the Pacific, the Mediterranean, North Africa, the Middle East…you get the idea. After I retired, took a sabbatical to get a Masters’ degree and went on to be a district manager and corporate trainer.

So, what’s my point? Glad you asked. My answer is a disclaimer and an observation. First, my disclaimer. I’m neither a wide-eyed liberal, nor a fall in line Republican. Now for my observation. I am disappointed in ALL of us collectively—though not equally. This is not the America I donned camouflage utilities and a brain bucket to protect.

Make America Great Again?

Depending on whom you believe, Mr. Trump’s slogan is either a spin-off of American Exceptionalism, or plagiarized from the campaigns of Ronald Reagan in 1980or Jeff Barth’s for Congress in 2012. Honestly, I don’t care. Whatever its origins, I’ve come to see the slogan as nothing more than camouflage for campaign bereft of substance. To the extent it is still being used, it has come to stand for an ethically and intellectually moribund administration. And it is to our everlasting shame that as a nation we were taken in by it.

Forget, for now, the mounting evidence suggesting Mr. Trump, or his minions may have colluded with a hostile foreign power in the election. It isn’t relevant. My opinions of Mr. Trump and his administration will be unaffected if the Mueller investigation finds nothing. Guilty of collusion with the Russians or not, Mr. Trump is, in this retired Marine’s opinion, manifestly unsuited for his responsibilities. My take on where we find ourselves today follows.

A Marine Officer’s Take on Greatness

I’ve had the honor of serving with some of the finest men and women ever to go in harm’s way. Some whose names you would recognize, if I listed them here. I have also had the honor of serving with obscure, heroes who will sneak through history without so much as a ripple. But they are no less great than those whose names you know. And what they all have in common is service of a higher cause, a point worth remembering, in the wake of the 2016 elections.

Individual Greatness

Individual greatness is manifested in what we do—not what we say. Great men and women rarely lay claim to greatness. They don’t need to, because their greatness is reflected in the men and women who emulate them. You’ll never catch these folks babbling about unfair media treatment or inflating their own importance by belittling others, publicly or privately. Unlike our current president, these great women and men know that greatness simply is, without bluster…and that greatness uplifts the best in us, rather seeking to elevate at the expense of others.

So, what precisely is your point, Mr. Trump? We'll wait...

Truly great individuals (especially leaders at the national level) know they ride to victory on the shoulders of their followers. Followers who in many cases, are great people and leaders in their own right. At all levels, great men and women undertake arduous, onerous, often dangerous tasks because those tasks are inherently right and honorable. Their dedication and work ethic combine with dignity to accomplish great things without trumpeting them to the world, because, they know leadership speaks most eloquently in example.

We should not be surprised to discover these examples seem lost on Mr. Trump. His life-long record suggests he has never served anything larger than his own interests. But the shame here is less Mr. Trump’s than ours, in that too many of us failed to see (or care?) about his superficial grasp of policy and process. Too many of us overlooked his troubled relationship with the truthand his painfully sophomoric speaking style, apparently not recognizing he would prove to be both a domestic and international embarrassment to the nation. All of us…even those of us who voted for his opponents have been irretrievably shamed by his presence in the White House. There is, however, an explanation that, if not an excuse, at least provides a frame for where we are now.

Everything Happens in a Context

Back in 1970, Alvin and Heidi Toffler published Future Shock, a thoughtful and exhaustively researched peek into the future. The Tofflers made a lot of predictions some of which haven’t materialized, but the pivotal theme has proven eerily accurate. As early as the late 1960s, the Tofflers recognized the potential for disruptive change in the intersection of instantaneous communications with information technologies. They called the resulting phenomenon Future Shock, defined as: “the personal perception of too much change in too short a period of time.” The book sold over 6 million copies in the United States alone…and still counting, because it’s relevance remains.

A lot of ink has been spilled, trying to account for the apparently binary America we have, today. The grotesquely oversimplified American social model divvies the US between conservatives in (“flyover country,” the south and the “rust belt”) and the liberals clustered in cities and in the coastal zones. (AKA La-la land) Having grown up in the conservative heartland and lived on the liberal coasts, my gut and my reasoning tell me it’s time for a new paradigm respecting both worlds.

But a new consensus in the United States is possible only in an environment honoring facts for their own sake. Until we recognize facts must inform our opinions, rather than our opinions leading us to accept “alternative facts.” The latter is an oxymoron whose acceptance will serve only to perpetuate a binary (and embarrassing) America. We are better than this…or at least we used to be. In my next post, we’ll consider how the uneven distribution of change and knowledge is skewing our perceptions of reality.

The Intersection of Character and Power

Recently, I ran across a quote online somewhere, attributed to Abraham Lincoln. It went:

“Nearly everyone can deal with adversity, but if you really want to test a man’s character, give him power.”

Is this really the best we can do?

Looking back on our not-quite five-month experiment with new national “leadership,” the quote’s uncanny timelessness and dead-balls-on accuracy hit me like a thunderbolt. The nexus of leadership and power is usually top of mind with me, anyway. Not surprisingly, it comes up more than once in my first novel, West of Tomorrow.

Clay Conover, a re-careered Marine officer turned corporate trainer collides with a long-postponed midlife crisis when his company partners him with a rising star pirated from another company. Sheera Prasad is young, hungry and ambitious and for reasons he can’t quite put his fingers on, Clay has misgivings about her. But in Sheera’s case, familiarity does not breed contempt. In short order, Sheera wins Clay’s confidence, trust—and much more.

Near the midpoint of the story, Clay has a conversation with Sheera, concerning the behaviors of Jonas Stevens, their company’s COO. (Coincidentally, the man who hired her.) After observing Stevens’ public and unkind treatment of their local bosses’ executive assistant, they discuss it on their drive to dinner, after hours.

West of Tomorrow-An excerpt

“Nothing says as much about our values as our habitual treatment of people who have no choice but to take whatever we dish out.”

“I agree we should treat each other cordially,” (Sheera replied,) “But sometimes we’re preoccupied or in a bad mood.”

“That’s why I said habitual. Gentility is a habit.”

“And that matters to you, doesn’t it?”

“It does…for both practical and philosophical reasons. Go straight under the freeway and on through the Chapman intersection,” Clay prompted. “We make so much of executive leadership in business and its role in success. But I believe great followership has won the day more often than great leadership. And only a lightweight confuses rudeness with discipline…or strength.”

Sheera flicked her eyes quickly at Clay, then back to the traffic. “The Marine officer coming out? I’ll bet that’s what Alistair would say.”

“He might. But he’d be only partially correct. Manners are mostly a matter of upbringing and my mother and grandfather took care of that. But the Corps definitely teaches respect for subordinates…and humility, if we’re paying attention. In that respect, Alistair would be right…”

Sheera drove on in silence for a moment. “What you said about subordinates reminds me of something I’ve been meaning to ask you since our conversation our first day.”

“What conversation?”

“You remember when you were laying out your thoughts on discipline in Vietnam…and Alistair came in and said you were all about the guys in muddy boots?”

“Vaguely,” Clay replied.

“When I asked you about it later, you said something about knowing what matters and what doesn’t,” Sheera continued. “How do you know? I mean it’s pretty important to be right in combat, isn’t it?”

“It is,” Clay agreed. “But it’s mostly about the behavioral habits you’ve built up beforehand…and trust. There are no perfect solutions for all cases, but the habits built up in training usually pull us through when the shit hits the fan.”

“And no one has ever let you down?” Sheera glanced sideways.

“Memorably…and more than once.” The Block at Orange came into view. “Turn right here,” Clay prompted.

“And then what? You just say ‘oh well’ and try again?”

“Take this left and pick any open space this side of where they have valet parking roped off.”

Sheera picked a spot, killed the engine. She looked over at Clay. His eyes were distant, almost melancholy. “Are you going to answer my question?”

“Sorry. I was just thinking about something my first company commander told me. He said, ‘…never make it too hard for your people to do the right thing. If you do, they won’t.’” He shrugged. “Aphorisms are often overworked, but this one helped me more than once. Train ‘em right and they’ll get it right, most of the time. When they screw up, it’s usually time to sort out where communications broke down and do some coaching.’

Sheera smiled. “I can see that working for you, maybe, but not everyone has your charisma.”

Clay looked up a moment then dropped his eyes to meet hers. “It’s not charisma. The difference between tolerable uncertainty and paralysis is consistency…which in turn is often the difference between success and failure.”

The Case for a Tradition of Service in Governance

Many who’ve been called to lead may recognize a kindred spirit in Clay. He knows what many seem not to have picked up, these days. Leadership in any capacity is not about prerogatives…it is about the iron necessities of responsibility, accountability and service. There may be perks associated with it, but if that’s the reason you want to be a leader, you have no legitimate home in governance.

Part of the reason our government in general enjoys so little respect is because many of our leaders seem to have lost the fundamental understanding that governance is not about them, or what’s in it for them. Donald Trump succeeded in making this a major point in his campaign. But instead of draining the swamp, he proceeded to restock it with more Wall Street crony capitalists and influence peddlers.

Whether we’re talking about government, business or the local homeowners’ association, we as citizens must always be alert for evidence of hidden agendas in those seeking power. Most who seek power will come with personal reasons for wanting it. But some reasons are more tolerable than others, and the higher the office the less tolerant of hidden agendas we should be.

There is no fool-proof way to avoid them, of course. But most men and women inclined to serve the best interests of their constituents (however imperfectly) will have a record of service before seeking the highest office in the land. I should hasten to add, that political, military or civil service does not provide those who have so served with special wisdom, necessarily or even perfect intentions. It does, however, tend to weed out those who for whatever reason, seem to lack the stewardship gene. It culls out some of the worst self-servers. (Note I said some). We can never relax our vigilance.

Careful What You Wish For

When things aren’t going well, there’s a temptation to say, “when in doubt, throw them all out.” But in common with most attempts to clothe wisdom in wit, the temptation to clean house needs to be tempered with an understanding of its limitations. It’s a seductive notion, bringing in an outsider to fix problems we imagine insider are too close to see, never mind remedy.

But fresh perspective unbalanced by experience can be an unmitigated disaster. Nothing illustrates this with greater clarity than the sophomoric efforts of our current president. Mr. Trump simply hasn’t been exposed to even the rudimentary considerations that go into international geopolitics or macroeconomics. His entire life has been viewed through the lens of what’s good for Donald. Why, then, would any of us be surprised when he was unable to abandon that model after seventy years?

The complexities of stewardship of the most powerful nation on Earth are simply beyond his experience level. And he demonstrates no interest in learning. His public pronouncements remain hopelessly simplistic. If it cannot be expressed in 140 characters, he’s out.

When coupled with his life-long, demonstrated propensity for self-aggrandizement, Mr. Trump cannot be relied upon to be a steward of the public trust. He is, as his opponent Hillary Clinton noted during the campaign, constitutionally unsuited to responsible governance.

Where from Here?

The testimony of Mr. Comey, today, seems likely to make clear Mr. Trump’s judgement is equally unfortunate, even for his own survival. That remains to be seen, but either way, Republicans who have heretofore kept silent must find their better voices and help remove him from office.

Failing that, it is pivotally important that Democrats in Congress and the people generally resist at every turn the President’s worst instincts, beginning immediately and ending only when Mr. Trump is again a civilian with no say in governance. It is our country. We made this mess, we must clean it up.